Kernersville is a town in Forsyth County, North Carolina, and the largest suburb of Winston-Salem. The population was 26,481 at the 2020 census, an increase from 23,123 in 2010. The town is located inside the overall center of the Piedmont Triad, with the very small outskirts of the town also extending inside Guilford County.

History

The site was first settled by an Irishman named Caleb Story in 1756. Circa 1770, the site was purchased by William Dobson and was called "Dobson's Crossroads". George Washington was served breakfast at Dobson's tavern on June 2, 1791. Joseph Kerner bought the property in 1817, continuing to operate the inn; the town became known as "Kerners Crossroads". Kerner (Joseph Kirner, born in Furtwangen im Schwarzwald Germany) left his property to two sons and a daughter. Not long after the arrival of the railroad, the town was incorporated as "Kernersville" in 1873.

There was brief flirtation with relocating the Minnesota Twins to Kernersville in 1998.

In late 2005, President George W. Bush visited Kernersville's Deere-Hitachi plant to give a speech about the American economy. In the summer of 2008, former president Bill Clinton spoke at R. B. Glenn High school. He was campaigning for his wife, Hillary Clinton, in the Democratic primary. Donald Trump Jr. hosted a campaign rally for his father and then-president, Donald Trump, at Salem One Inc. on October 19, 2020.

Geography

Kernersville is located in East and Southeastern Forsyth County. Winston-Salem is located west of the town, Greensboro is accessible to the east, and High Point is located southeast of the town. The stack interchange with I-40 and I-74 is located directly west of the town, giving access to five of the largest cities in NC.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.63%, is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Kernersville had a population of 26,449. The median age was 42.2 years. 20.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 87.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 84.9 males age 18 and over. There were 6,055 families in the town.

97.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 2.5% lived in rural areas.

There were 11,827 households in Kernersville, of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 41.9% were married-couple households, 18.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

  • The annual Honeybee Festival
  • The Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden
  • Kernersville Museum, which focuses on town history
  • The 1873 Train Depot, the original train depot in Kernersville

First Baptist Church, Kernersville Depot, Korner's Folly, Isaac Harrison McKaughan House, North Cherry Street Historic District, Roberts-Justice House, South Main Street Historic District, and Stuart Motor Company are all listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Education

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools serves the community.

Kernersville is served by five public elementary schools, three public middle schools, and two public high schools – Robert B. Glenn High School and East Forsyth High School. These public schools are all a part of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools system. Kernersville is also home to four private schools, most prominently the Brookside Montessori School and Triad Baptist Christian Academy, as well as Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School.

Kernersville contains a campus of Forsyth Technical Community College.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Highways include:

  • I-40
  • I-74 (Winston-Salem Beltway)
  • US 421 (Salem Parkway)
  • NC 66
  • NC 150
  • Kernersville Loop (under construction)

Notable people

  • Madison Bailey, actress notable for her role of Kiara Carrera on the Netflix series Outer Banks
  • Turner Battle, college basketball coach
  • Larry R. Brown, former member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
  • Mitch Easter, musician and producer
  • Drew Fulk, songwriter and producer
  • DeLana Harvick, former co-manager of Kevin Harvick Incorporated and wife of NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick
  • Chris Lane, country music singer
  • Brent LaRue, represented Slovenia in the men's 400 meters hurdles at the 2012 Summer Olympics
  • John Linville, former NASCAR Xfinity Series driver
  • Ben Newnam, professional soccer player
  • Ramekon O'Arwisters, artist
  • Danny O'Brien, former Canadian Football League quarterback and current coach
  • Pat Preston, former NFL player; later served as the athletic director of Wake Forest University from 1954 to 1955
  • Kemp Wicker, former MLB pitcher and two-time World Series champion with the New York Yankees (1936, 1937)

References

  • Chamber of Commerce